Opinion

Recent headlines screamed: “only half of Kentucky’s children are prepared for kindergarten.”

So, now what?

What will it take to ensure our children are prepared for kindergarten, ready to learn?

Through public/private partnerships in the state of Kentucky, I believe we’ve found a way to give young children a stronger foundation, to get them ready for school, before they even enter kindergarten. We think a big part of the solution is United Way Born Learning Academies.

As I sit here eating my way through my second bag of Conversation Hearts, trying to ignore the fact that there are 60 calories per serving and 34 servings in a bag, I reflect back on what made this Valentine’s Day so “special.” What exactly brought me to this lowly state of sugar binging?

Hubby and I don’t have a great Valentine’s history. Out of 26 (or is it 27 now?), years since he became my valentine, we have had probably three good ones. Actually, make that two. I forgot about that year there was a rat in our dinner.

I am not sure where I found these, but I was entertained. Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited, until you try to sit in their pews. Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors. When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there. People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church. Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn’t belong. If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has. Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

As I write this, there is a bill moving through the Kentucky Legislature concerning what is known as a “local option tax.” It would allow local governmental units, both cities and counties, to put the question of an increase in local sales tax for specific capital projects to a vote of the citizens.

The mayor of Louisville, Greg Fischer, has been a vocal proponent of such a tax and has been working hard to help push it through the legislature.

This letter is concerning the so-called “right to work law.” Two weeks ago the Oldham County Fiscal Court was given a presentation by someone named Jim Waters who is the executive director of something called The Bluegrass Institute. There was an article in the Oldham Era covering this. I have several questions and concerns about this.

The 2015 legislative session of the Kentucky General Assembly began “part two” of the 2015 session on Tuesday, which made for a busy week for legislators in Frankfort.

Continuing the goal of “creating Kentucky jobs and strengthening Kentucky families,” the Senate Majority Caucus wasted no time introducing our next five priority bills and giving them a first reading on the Senate floor Tuesday.

During one of his political campaigns, a delegation called on Theodore Roosevelt at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The President met them with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. “Ah, gentlemen,” he said, “come down to the barn and we will talk while I do some work.” At the barn, Roosevelt picked up a pitchfork and looked around for the hay. Then he called out, “John, where’s all the hay?”

Next week members of the Oldham County Board of Education and I will join hundreds of others for “Kids First,” an advocacy day in Frankfort. This annual event provides an opportunity for us to speak directly to legislators in face-to-face conversations about topics important to public education.

I look forward each year to learning from legislative leaders about proposed legislation and current issues facing education, and sharing our concerns and points of view with them.

It’s been more than 10 years since Oldham County considered any version of a law that would allow the sale of packaged alcohol. In 2003, the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce led efforts to allow alcohol sales in restaurants in Oldham County.

During these cold winter months, I often find myself singing along to songs about warm weather destinations; Blue Hawaii, Carolina in the Morning and of course the entire Beach Boys’ collection. I love the Beach Boys and know most of their songs by heart, but occasionally I get sidetracked pondering the shallow lyrics.

As everyone knows, on Sunday, Captain Adam Satterfield was laid to rest at Duncan Memorial Cemetery.

There is not much most people can do for him or his family at this tragic time, but it was awesome to see so many men, women and children lining Floydsburg Road to show their love and respect for Captain Satterfield and his family. They were standing in bitter cold and rain.

It truly makes me proud to be a part of this Oldham County Community. Thank you.

Celebrities tend to misbehave in tiresome and predictable ways, like tantrums, affairs and addictions, and we tend to think they’re spoiled. But one psychiatrist, Cornell’s Robert B. Millman, says they’re not spoiled, they’re sick. The affliction is Acquired Situational Narcissism.

Thanks to my in-laws’ kind willingness to babysit for a week, I was able to visit hubby in Berlin sans kids. I had never been apart from them for more than three days, so leaving was a bit of a struggle. They cried, I cried and we counted the number of bedtimes until I would be home again.

I read in the recent Oldham Era that the Oldham County Board of Education recently purchased two tracts of land (a total of 6.57 acres) in Buckner for $180,030. This is the same Board that claimed to be short on funds and increased taxes on Oldham County residents. Their claim then was that the money was needed for teacher pay increases and school operations.

“Christianity is not a religion it is a dangerous mind-control program that encourages genocide.” “Christianity was made to brainwash. This is how people got power and money while others believed that all this was because they ‘served God.’ ”

“Then my father went on to tell me that I am going to pay, and how he is going to make my life a living hell, and started threatening me with a reversed mortgage when he dies.”

Each year, millions of Americans resolve to get in better shape and become healthier versions of themselves. According to a recent YMCA survey of more than 1,000 adults, less than a quarter of respondents kept their resolution in 2014. An overwhelming 71 percent said they tried but fell short, and 40 percent confessed that they made it through only a couple of weeks or months.